Can opener



y 1952 o. H. HANBY 2,603,857

CAN OPENER Filed p 15, 1 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Rag/2 I N VEN TOR. -w H H 424%%5LFW.

/7 TOR/V5345 y 1952 o. H. HANBY 2,603,857

CAN OPENER Filed Sept. 15, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .57 5 z INVENTOR.

Patented July 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE,

CAN OPENER QscanI-I, Hanby, Grandview, Wash. Application September 15,1949, Serial No. 115,850-

This invention relates to can openers. and: in. particular to those of.the; type adapted-to be driven by an electric motor or other source ofpower.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved can opener'that is.of. comparatively simple construction and yet highly efficient and safeand reliablein operation.

Another object is to provide a can opener that is entirely automatic inoperation and need never be touched by human hands either to start orstop the same. I

Another object is to provide a can opener of the motor driven type inwhich the cutting cycle is-initiated by pressure from the can and. inwhich only one hand is required for use, that being the hand in whichthe. can, is held while the machine is opening it thusleaving the otherhand of the housewife free to. hold a saucepan or other culinary vessel.ready, for transferring the contents of the can.

The foregoing and other objects and advantagesinherent in the inventionwill become more apparent from the, following detailed description of apreferred constructional embodiment and the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section takenon line lie-Iiv of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line ll of Fig. 2

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views similar to Fig. 3 illustrating thepositions of the components during different phases of the operatingcycle;

and Fig. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram of the driving motor and itstwo control switches.

Referring now to the drawings; the can opener includes a support platel0 having a transverse bracket H attached thereto for fastening the samein an upright position on the wall of the kitchen or other room where itis desired to locate the device. The electric driving motor I2 issecured to plate l0, and the motor shaft I3 which is arrangedhorizontally is providedwith a small pinion gear l4 that meshes with alarger diameter reduction gear 15 that is keyed or otherwise -securedupon the end of another horizontally arranged shaft 16.- Thelatter isjournalled ina yokelT-securedto plate I9; and is provided with aworm-gear i8 between the'yoke arms Iia that meshes with a worm wheel I9secured upon the'upperend of a generally vertically disposed drive shaft20. The latter is journalled atitsv upper end ina yoke. 2! that iscarried by theshaft His Thedowerend of drive 6 Claims. (01. 30,-.4)

shaft 23. is journalledin a bracket 22; secured to plate In, and thisbracket has an intermediate offset portion 22a that permit it to yieldslightly. in a horizontal direction to accommodate cans having differentbead thickness,

Secured to the lower; end of the drive shaft 20' is a knurledfeedroller23 adapted to engage the inner side of the beadza. at the top of the can24, and also acam 25,

The lower end of plate 10 projects horizontally at Illa and pivotally.connectedjat 26' tothe latter is a carriage 2] on which. is mounted, a;guide roller 28-and a cutter element which is preferably also formed asaroller. 2.9. with aperipheral'knife edge portion. 29a.

When carriage if! occupies the position shown in Fig. 3 and towhich itis.- alwaysreturned upon completion of a. cutting cycle, there issufficient clearance. between the. feed roller 213iandthe cutter andguide. rollers 28, 29; to insert the top bead of the canto be. ope ed.When the motor l2'is started, cam 2.5; rotates into engagement with alug 3.0,,on. the. carriage, and as the cam continues to rotate bearingagainst this lug, carriage 2'! is displaced, horizontally about itspivot axis 23 in the direction of the feed roller 23 to the positionshown in Fig.5 causing the top bead 24a of the can to be. gripped firmlybetween the rotating feed roller 23 and guideroller 28, and the knifeedged periphery 29c of cutter 29 punctures the side wall of can 2 ,3just below bead 24a. Displacementof-thecarriagein the direction of the.feed roller 23; and its; return to the starting position is limited bystop pins iii, 32, fixed to the horizontal offset [0a of thesupportplate. Due to the. pressure of the knurled feed roller on the canbead,the can body will then begin torotate. causing the cutter 29; to make acontinuous. peripheral cut through the can body along a. line-just;belowthe bead Me.

As previously explained, control of the mechanism is automatic and themotor-is started whenever a: can is. presented. forcutting, To bringthis about, itwill be observed that anarcuate guideplate 33 depends fromthe horizontal offset Hla. Thisplate guidesthe-can into cuttingposition, and also servesas a broad bearing surface for the cansidewallto maintain the can in correct vertical alignment with respectto the rollers while beingcut. A switch unit 34. is mounted upon the.support I 0 at the. general level of the guide plate 3&and the switchcontacts are actuated by a pushrQd SS that projects through an. openingBasin-plate 33. is-clear fromthe drawing. one end ofd 35 extends beyondthe inner face 3312;.0fgplatey33 and is adapted to, be

pushed in by the side wall of can 24 to a position substantially flushwith the inner face 33b. The other end of rod 35 is adapted to bearagainst the contact operating member of the switch. Switch 34 is of thewell known push button type, i. e. the switch contacts are selfreleasing and are closed only when pressure is applied against theswitch button by rod 35 as the latter is shifted to the left from theposition shown in Fig. 1 When the rod pressure is removed, the switchcontacts reopen automatically.

Rod 35 is loaded by spring 36 to the right, i. e. in the direction awayfrom switch 34 and hence the contacts of the switch will be closed onlyduring such time as rod 35 is pressed to the left by the can wall. Aswill be seen from the schematic circuit diagram in Fig. 7, a circuitbetween the motor I2 and its source of power is completed via the switchcontacts 341) and conventional appliance plug connector 3'! assuming thelatter to be plugged into a convenient outlet whenever the switchcontacts are closed thus setting the drive shaft 20 into rotation.

Provision is also made for returning the carriage 21 to its startingposition and stopping the motor after the top of the can has beencompletely severed and the can removed. To this end, it will be seenthat the carriage is provided with a trip lever 38 pivotally mounted at380 intermediate its ends, and the position of the lever is determinedby the positionof rod 35 through an operating link 39, one end of link39 being connected to rod 35 and the other end connected to end 3801. oflever 38. The linkage arrangement is such that the other end 38b of thetrip lever is moved out of the path of the cam25 as shown in Fig. 5whenever rod-35 is shifted to the left from the position shown in Fig.1, i. e. during the period in which a can is being opened, and into thecam path as shown in Fig. 6 whenever rod 35 occupies its other position.

For stopping the motor 12 upon completion of a cutting cycle, a secondswitch 40 is utilized. This switch which operates on the same principleas switch 34 is mounted upon the support plate Illa in such positionthat the switch lever 40a is pressed inwardly by an adjustable screwtype abutment 4| on carriage 21 to close the switch contacts 40b as thecarriage 21 is moved by cam 25 from the position in Fig. 3 to that ofFig. 5. As seen in Fig. 7, the contacts 402)- of switch 40 are connectedin parallel with switch contacts 34?) to keep the motor energized afterpressure is released from rod 35 and contacts 345 open as shown in Fig.6.

As explained above, so long as rod 35 is pressed inwardly by the cani.'e. during the time that the can wall is being cut, the end 3% of triplever 38 is held out of the path of the cam 25 and consequently thelatter rotates free of the trip lever for as many revolutions of thefeed roller 23 as are required to rotate the can through one revolution.After the can has been cut completely around its periphery, thehousewife who in the meantime should preferably support the can bottomloosely in hand while it is slowly revolving is now free to remove theopened can from the machine. This of course releases the pressure uponrod 35 causing switch contacts 34bto open and the end 38bof the triplever to move into the path of rotation of cam 25 as viewed in Fig. 6.Motor [2, however, continues to run due to the holding circuitestablished through now closed switch contacts 40b. When cam 25 engagesthe trip lever end 385, the force exerted thereon by the cam istransmitted through the pivot 380 to the body of carriage 21, causingthe latter to return to its starting position as shown in Fig. 3. Thesevered can top is thereby released from the feed and guide rollers 23,28 and the contacts 40?) of switch 40 are opened as pressure upon switchlever 40a by abutment 41 is released thus disconnecting motor l2 fromthe power source. This action completes the operating cycle and the canopener is ready for a repeat operation.

A cover: member 42 is preferably provided to enclose motor and gearmechanism thus exposing only the rollers, cutter and guide plate toview, and may be secured in place on wall bracket I by means of screws43 at each side thereof.

In conclusion it will be evident that the machine is entirely automaticand need never be touched by hand either to start or stop the same. Alsoonly one hand, namely the one in which the can is held is required foroperation of the machine, leaving the otherhand free which is often ofutmost convenience to the housewife. Moreover, while the constructionillustrated in the drawings illustrates a practical embodiment, it doesnot by any means exhaust all design possibilities. Hence I wish it to beexpressly understood that various structural changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive principlesinvolved as expressed by the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a motor driven can opener, the combination comprising a fixedsupport, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on said support and coupled tosaid motor, for rotation in one direction only, a cam and feed rollercarriedby and rotatable with said shaft, a carriage pivotally mountedupon said support, said carriage including thereon a cutter member, aguide cooperative with said feed roller and a lug engaged by said camupon initial rotation thereof for effecting a turning movement of saidcarriage about its pivot mounting in the direction of said feed rollerto thereby cause the can bead to be gripped between said guide and feedroller and the can side wall to be punctured by said cutter member, anda trip member mounted upon said carriage and cooperative with said camfor returnin said carriage to its initial position, said trip memberbeing retained in a nonoperative position by the can body while thelatter is being cut but movable into, the path of said cam upon removalof the opened can to thereby effect the said carriage return bycontinued rotation of said cam in the same direction of rotation.

2. In a can opener, the combination comprising a fixed support, a driveshaft rotatably mounted on said'support, a cam and feed roller carriedby and rotatable with said shaft in a given direction, a carriagemountedupon said support for movement relative thereto, said carriageincluding thereon a cutter member, a guide cooperative with said feedroller and 2. lug engaged by said cam upon initial rotation thereof formoving said carriage in the direction of said feed roller to therebycause the can bead to be gripped between said guide and feed roller andthe can side wall to be punctured by said cutter member, and a trippingdevice effective upon completion of the cutting operation for returningsaid carriage to its initial position, said tripping device beingengageable with and actuatable by said cam upon continued rotation ofthe latter in said given direction.

' In a can opener, the combination comprising a fixed support, a driveshaftrotatably mounted on said support, a cam and feed roller carried byand rotatable with said shaft, a carriage mounted upon said support formovement relative thereto, said carriage including thereon a cuttermember, a guide cooperative with said feed roller and a lug engaged bysaid cam upon initial rotation thereof for moving said carriage in thedirection of said feed roller to thereby cause the can bead to begripped between said guide and feed rollers and the can side wall to bepunctured by said cutter member, and a carriage trip member mounted uponsaid carriage and cooperative with said cam, said trip member beingretained in a non-operative position by the can body while the latter ibeing cut but movable into the path of said cam upon removal of theopened can for effecting a return of said carriage to its initialposition upon continued rotation of said cam in the same direction.

4. In a motor driven can opener, the combination comprising a driveshaft coupled to said motor, a cam and feed roller carried by saidshaft,

a carriage supporting thereon a cutter member, a

guide cooperative with said feed roller and a lug engaged'by said camupon initial rotation thereof for moving said carriage in the directionof said feed roller to thereby cause the can bead to be gripped betweensaid guide and feed roller and the can side wall to be punctured by saidcutter member, means adapted to be actuated by the can body when broughtinto position for engagement by said rollers for starting said motor,and means effective upon subsequent removal of the opened can from thecutting position to return said carriageto its initial position and stopsaid motor.

5. In a motor driven can opener, the combination comprising a support, adrive shaft on said support, a motor on said support, means coupling themotor shaft to said drive shaft, a feed roller and cam carried by saiddrive shaft, a carriage mounted on said support for displacementrelative to said drive shaft, said carriage having thereon a cuttermember, a guide cooperative with said feed roller and a lug engaged bysaid cam upon initial rotation thereof for displacing said carriage inthe direction of said drive shaft to thereby cause the can bead to begripped between said guide and feed roller and the can side wall to bepunctured by said cutter member, a normally open switch for connectingsaid motor to a'source of power and which is adapted to be closed onlyupon application of pressure to a switch actuating member from the canwhen brought into position for engagement by said rollers, a trip memberon said carriage controlled by said switch actuating member and movableinto the path of said cam upon removal of the opened can to therebyreturn said carriage to its initial position, and a second switchconnected in parallel with the other said switch and which is controlledby said carriage, said second switch being closed when said carriagemoves to its displaced position and opened when returned to its initialposition. 7 l

6. In a motor driven can opener, the combination comprising a support,an upright drive shaft on said support, a motor on said support, meanscoupling the motor shaft to said drive shaft, a feed roller and camcarried by said drive shaft, a carriage pivotally mounted on saidsupport for horizontal displacement relative to said drive shaft, saidcarriage having thereon a cutter memher, a guide cooperative with saidfeed roller and a lug engaged by said cam upon initial rotation thereoffor displacing said carriage in the direction of said drive shaft tothereby cause the top bead of the can to be gripped between said guideand feed roller and the can side Wall to be punctured by said cuttermember, a, normally open switch for connecting said motor to a source ofpower and which is adapted to be closed only upon application ofpressure to a switch actuating member from the can when brought intoposition for engagement by said rollers, a trip member on' said carriagecontrolled by said switch actuating member and movable into the path ofsaid cam upon removal of the opened can to thereby return said carriageto its initial position, and a second switch connected in parallel withthe other said switch and which is controlled by said carriage, saidsecond switch being closed when said carriage moves to its displacedposition and opened when returned to its initial position.

OSCAR H. HANBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,834,563 West Dec. 1, 19312,378,090 Landry June 12, 1945 2,438,376 Squires 1 Mar. 23, 1948

